An informational blog for Heathenry, Folklore, Folk Magic, and other related things.

Question: Protection Techniques?

I’ve been reading some of the things you have written here about spirits, shielding, etc. The idea off unfriendly spirits kind of freaks me out. But I’m pretty headblind. Sometimes I’ll feel contact with Loki but it’s faint, rare, and I get the idea that it takes a MASSIVE amount of effort on Loki’s part to get through. How worried should I be about not-nice spirits and how can I protect myself? Can I learn to shield etc. despite my overall lack of sensitivity to spirits and such?

What is the best protection amulet to use for unwanted spirit invasions? Especially those who try to follow in the astral, or follow you back home?

These two questions are somewhat related, so I’m going to combine them. I’m also a bit lazy today, so this may be a bit disjointed and disorganized.

Giving an overview of protection techniques is tricky because there are so many options out there. A lot of it is a matter of skill, taste, what materials you have on-hand, and whether that technique is cross-functional or only applies in particular situations.

In terms of easy-to-obtain books, Draja Mickaharic puts out excellent work that leans heavily towards folk magic practices, so the techniques tend to be easy to do. I rather like Jason Miller, and he’s put out a book on Protection and Reversal Magic that gives some bare-bones basics and is easy to digest. Spiritual Protection is a book I’ve recommended in the past, but I’ve found out Sophie Reicher and Galina Krasskova are the same person, so choose to spend or not as you will.

Even if you’re headblind and have trouble visualizing and meditating, you can learn to center, ground, and shield effectively. Folk magic is even easier, as it tends to focus on manipulating physical objects.

Onwards to a selection of other sorts of protection magic:

Charlemagne’s Helping Rings – in order, protection against devil’s tricks and enemies’ attacks and despair, against sudden death and collapse and heart palpitations, against enemies’ anger and to put fear in them, against the bite of swords, against mockery and to avoid going astray, against wrath of chieftains and the persecutions of evil men, for victory in court cases and friendship, against all terrors, and lastly for defends against lusts and luxury. These should be inscribed on a surface and worn over one’s breast, as with a necklace.

Eihwaz and Algiz are good to use for defense. Thurisaz can also be used, although it’s a bit trickier and can cut you as well if you’re not careful. These can be drawn, carved, or burned onto objects. You can burn protective herbs, add water to make a paste, and draw with the ashes. You can draw the runes using oils. Temporary window paint “markers” are also majorly useful if you need to put up defenses on mirrors or windows.

Other things to inscribe for protection on amulets: Um(bi)bada (protection, safety):

Sigli (i)s na hle (brooch of protection against walking dead):

Gibu auja (give good luck + sigil):

La (Protection):

Iron, especially with a sharp edge (such as a knife or a pair of scissors) wards against most vaettir. So do gunpowder, sulphur, rowan (mountain ash) wood and berries, juniper, angelica, and garlic. Holly can catch vaettir and prevent them from doing harm. Sunnawort (St. John’s wort) can allow you to see vaettir and also helps ward against them. Some vaettir find caraway seeds to be disgusting and will avoid them or food with them in it. All vaettir loathe human bodily waste and will be driven away by excrement or urine. Houseleek is also protective (sempervivum tectorum). In Scandinavian folk tradition, red ribbon or thread is tied around objects or beings you want to ward to prevent them being messed with or stolen. Drumming can also scare jotnar and some malevolent vaettir off, as they associate the sound with Thor making an appearance and flee.

Egg Method – take a raw, room temperature egg and slowly, carefully roll it over all parts of your body. Work from the head downward, like you were sweeping gunk off of you down towards the floor. Do not drop the egg. When you are done, the egg will have absorbed all the negative gunk. Go outside and throw it at an older, strong tree (that can survive the negative gunk) or into a crossroads to be dispersed. If throwing it into a crossroads, throw it over your left shoulder and do not look back.

Bath – Take 1/2 cup salt, 1 tbsp ammonia (or your own urine, the first of the morning) and 1/2 cup vinegar or 1 cup salt, 1 cup vinegar, and 9 drops turpentine. Add one of these two mixtures to your bath water. You may also add additional ingredients per the list below. Using a bowl or bucket, stand in the tub and pour the water over your head. Wash from the head downwards, like you were scrubbing gunk down into the tub. Collect a portion of the bath water into the bowl or bucket when done, and you can let the rest go down the drain. Air dry, or else you will remove the cleansing work from your skin. If possible, step out of the tub between two white burning candles, as if you were going through a gate of fire that will burn away any lingering impurities. When you are dry and dressed, take the collected water and throw it at an older, strong tree or into a crossroads toward the sunrise. If throwing it into a crossroads, throw it over your left shoulder and do not look back.

Other ingredients to add – hyssop and rue are traditional for “erasing sin” but are hard to find. Far easier to find are lemon or lemongrass (the idea being the way lemons cut through dirt, bleach via their acidic qualities, and the fact that lemon and lemongrass have both been long used in cleaners to signify “clean”). Oak bark and eucalyptus are also good if you can find them (Jinx-removing and repels evil). Rosemary (wards off evil), Sage (cleansing, purification, reverses evil), and Pine Needles/Resin (cleanses and drives away spirits) are also used for cleansing. White/Yellow Mustard Seed gives protection, Mint breaks spells and jinxes should you have left cursing residue on yourself. Chamomile also works for breaking jinxes and comes in convenient tea bags for steeping for a bath or wash water. If you use essential oils for any of the listed herbs, 3-15 drops will do for a full tub. Be cautious about skin safety should you make a smaller room-wash mix that’s only a gallon.

Cleaning the Work Space:

Use the bath water (and your steeped herbs of choice) as wash water. Move from the back of the space to the doorway, like if you were sweeping dirt out of the house. Wash all the wood and metal surfaces – baseboards, doorframes and window ledges, etc. Wash the floors if they are wood, or asperge the carpet lightly if the room is carpeted. Burn cleansing incense or herbs if possible to smoke-cleanse the space (rosemary or sage work well for this. Mugwort also works well.)